Apparatus for cleaning glasses or like vessels

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for cleaning hollow vessels, such as glasses, of the kind which comprises a washing housing having outer and inner washing brushes, arranged respectively to come into contact with the outside and inside of a vessel to be cleaned, a rinsing housing, means for supplying fresh water to said housings and means for removing dirty water therefrom. The washing and rinsing housings are connected together by rigid tie members to form a single rigid structural unit. The housings are preferably of cylindrical shape, open at the top.

United States Patent 1191 Remih mi 3,838,473 1 Oct. 1,1974

[ APPARATUS FOR CLEANING GLASSES OR LIKE VESSELS [76] Inventor: HarryRemih, 2 Hierzigsberg,

Remich-Luxembourg, Luxembourg 22 Filed: Dec. 26, 1973 21 App]. No.:427,559

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No.241,969, April 7,

1972, abandoned,

[52] US. Cl 15/105, 15/76, 15/104.92,

134/55 [51] Int. Cl A471 15/40, B08b 3/02 [58] Field of Search 15/4, 56,58, 65.69, 71,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 686,984 11/1901 Mason 15/761,397,846 11/1921 Walker 134/191 X 1,706,189 3/1929 Schmidt 15/75FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 659,913 10/1951 Great Britain 15/7614,533 7/1905 Great Britain 15/69 1,251,134 12/1960 France 15/751,040,375 5/1963 France 15/75 362,646 12/1931 Great Britain 15/75 2,9282/1898 Great Britain 15/76 Primary Examiner-Daniel Blum Attorney, Agent,or Firm-Robert W. Beach 57 ABSTRACT An apparatus for cleaning hollowvessels, such as glasses, of the kind which comprises a washing housinghaving outer and inner washing brushes, arranged respectively to comeinto contact with the outside and inside of a-vessel to be cleaned, arinsing housing, means for supplying fresh water to said housings andmeans for removing dirty water therefrom. The washing and rinsinghousings are connected together by rigid tie members to form a singlerigid structural unit. The housings are preferably of cylindrical shape,open at the top.

3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures APPARATUS FOR CLEANING GLASSES OR LIKEVESSELS respectively to come into contact with the outside and inside ofa glass to be cleaned, a rinsing housing, means for supplying freshwater to said housings, and means for removing dirty water therefrom.Various apparatus for washing drinking glasses, for example beerglasses, wine glasses or the like are known which are used primarily inhotels and public houses, in order to be able to clean dirty glassesready for re-use. In the known apparatus, disadvantages have been foundin cases where water is supplied to brushes to clean the inside andoutside of a glass, because the glass is not rinsed afterwards so that,for example, washing powders and the like cannot be completely removed,and sometimes even nondissolved dirt remains stuck to the glass whichresults in a hygienically unsatisfactory use of the glasses.

It is an object of the invention to produce apparatus for cleaningglasses and the like in which both washing and rinsing are possible. Theapparatus thus should be simple in its construction and cheap tomanufacture.

Accordingly, the invention consists in apparatus for cleaning a glass orthe like vessel, consisting of a washing housing having outer and innerwashing brushes, arranged respectively to come into contact with theoutside and inside of a glass to be cleaned, a rinsing housing, meansfor supplying fresh water to said housings and means for removing dirtywater therefrom, wherein the washing and rinsing housings are connectedtogether by rigid tie members to form a single rigid structural unit.

Advantageously, the housings are of cylindrical shape open at the top.

In one embodiment of the invention, the housings each have at theirbases a water inlet orifice, the two orifices being connected byconnecting pipes to a main fresh water line, the washing housing has anoutlet adjacent its upper edge and the rinsing housing an outlet at itsbase, said outlets being connected to a common dirty water pipe.

Preferably, a valve is arranged in the fresh water supply to the rinsinghousing, said valve being openable by pressure from above.

The inner washing brush may be reciprocable in the washing housing andbe held under the pressure of a resilient member, and its lower edge maycooperate with a valve rod for opening and closing a fresh water supplyvalve.

In another embodiment, the floor of the rinsing housing is higher thanthe floor of the washing housing, and has an outlet orifice which isconnected via a connecting pipe to an inlet orifice adjacent the floorof the washing housing.

An upwardly projecting pipe is advantageously arranged in the rinsinghousing and is connected at its lower end to a fresh water supply, a rodbeing reciprocable in said pipe and cooperating with the valve rod andthe upper end of which projects beyond the pipe. Futhermore, said pipemay have lateral water outlet orifices and be connected to a jet pipewhich is arranged close to the inner wall of the rinsing housing.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, referencewill now be made to the accompanying drawings showing two embodimentsthereof by way of example, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of apparatusaccording to the invention.

FIG. 2 shows an axial section through the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2a is a detail section of the washer valve structure and FIG. 2b isa detail section of the rinser valve structure.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment, and

FIG. 4 shows a cut-away view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawings, the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2consists of a washing housing 1 and a rinsing housing 2. Both housingsl, 2 are rigidly conneeted by connecting bars 3 to form a singlestructural unit. Both housings l, 2 are of cylindrical shape, open atthe top.

An outer brush 4 is arranged in the washing housing 1 and rests againstthe inner wall of the container and the bristles of which projecttowards the interior of the housing. The outer brush 4 surrounds aninner brush 5 which is designed as a vertically standing cylindricalbrush. A glass to be cleaned can be inserted upside down from above ontothe roller brush 5, so that its interior can be cleaned by the innerbrush 5 and its exterior by the outer brush 4.

An inlet orifice 7 is provided on the floor 6 of the housing 1, and isconnected to a fresh water supply pipe 8 via a valve 9 arranged in theinlet orifice 7, having a valve rod 10 which projects upwardly andcarries a seal 11.

The lower end of the cylindrical brush 5 is resiliently carried andengages over the upper end of the valve rod 10. By means of pressure onthe cylindrical brush 5, by a glass to be cleaned, the valve rod 10 isurged downwardly thus to remove the seal 11 from its seat and open thewater supply from pipe 8, as shown in FIG. 2a, whereby water flows intothe housing 1. An outlet 12 is provided adjacent the upper edge of thehousing 1 and is connected to a dirty water pipe 13.

An upwardly projecting jet pipe 14 is arranged in the housing 2 and arod 15 is reciprocable therewithin, the upper end of the rod 15projecting beyond the pipe 14. The lower end 16 of the rod 15 cooperateswith a valve rod 17 which corresponds to the valve rod 10 of the washinghousing 1. The valve rod 17 also carries a seal 17a which normally cutsoff the supply of fresh rinsing water into the housing 2 as shown inFIG. 2b. By pressing down the rod 15 by an inverted glass, the valve rod17 is operated to remove the seal 17a from its seat and thus opens thefresh water supply. The fresh water can then rise upwardly in the pipe14 and escape laterally through appropriate orifice openings. The pipe14 is also connected to jet pipes 18 which are arranged close to theinner wall of the rinsing container 2 and the jet orifices 19 of whichensure an approximately horizontal flow of water towards the center ofthe housing. Each pipe 18 has an upright portion and a substantiallysemicircular portion connected to the upper end of the upright portion.

An outlet 21 is provided on the floor 20 of the housing and is connectedto a dirty water outlet 22.

After washing in the housing 1, the glass to be cleaned can be put intothe rinsing housing 2 as described above, and inverted on the pipe 14 torelease the fresh water supply by pressure on the upper end of the rod15. The flow of water issuing from the jet orifices effects rinsing ofthe glass.

The apparatus according to FIGS. 3 and 4 similarly comprises a washinghousing la and a rinsing housing 211 which are both cylindrical andrigidly connected by connecting bars 3a to form a single structuralunit.

Furthermore, an outer washing brush 4a abutting the inner wall of thecontainer is arranged in the washing housing 1a together with an innercylindrical brush 5a which is vertically arranged in the center. Incontradis tinction to the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, however, theinner cylindrical brush 5a is fixed. The housing also has a water inletorifice 7a adjacent its floor 6a and a water outlet 12a adjacent-itsupper edge.

The rinsing housing 2a has a container floor 20a which is arranged abovethe level of the floor 6a and disposed adjacent to the top of thewashing housing 1a. Therefore, the casing of the rinsing housing 2a issignificantly taller than that of the housing 1a. The space below thefloor 20a is used for connecting the appropriate pipes.

The housing 20a has an outlet orifice 21a which is connected by a pipe23 to the inlet orifice 7a of the housing 1a. Thus, the water for therinsing housing 2a can be supplied to the washing housing 1a which hasthe great advantage that no fresh water has to be used for the washingstage since the rinsing water, which is required in any event, is usedfor this purpose, and which, according to experience, is relativelyclean,

The fresh water supply to the rinsing housing 2a has an upwardlyprojecting pipe 14; the reciprocable rod 15 therein, the valve rod 17and the jet tube 18 are all similar to like parts referred to inconnection with the embodiment according to FIGS. 1, 2 and 2b.

Advantageously, the housing in both embodiments are made from a plasticsmaterial. Suction feet may be provided on the base, as shown at 24 inFIGS. 3 and I claim: I

1. Apparatus for cleaning a hollow vessel comprising a washing housinghaving an open top, a non-rotative inner; brush within said washinghousing, a fixed annular outer brush within said washing housing andencircling said inner brush, said inner and outer brushes being arrangedto come into contact with the inside and outside walls, respectively, ofa vessel to be cleaned in inverted position, means for supplying washingliquid to said washing housing, a washing liquid inlet valve forcontrolling the supply of washing liquid through said supplying means,valve control means engageable by a vessel in inverted position loweredover said inner brush for opening said washing liquid inlet valve,outlet means in said washing housing adjacent to the upper ends of saidbrushes for removing washing liquid from said washing housing whileenabling said brushes to be substantially submerged in washing liquid, arinsing housing rigidly connected to said washing housing and having anopen top, an inner upright jet pipe in said rinsing housing over which avessel to be rinsed can be 4 inverted for supplying rinsing liquid tothe inside of such vessel, a plurality of outer jet pipes arrangedaround said inner jet pipe and each including an upright portion and agenerally horizontal arcuate portion at an angle to its upright portionfor supplying rinsing liquid to the outside wall and to the outer sideof the bottom of such an inverted vessel to be rinsed, a rinsing liquidinlet valve for controlling flow of rinsing liquid to said jet pipes,and an upright rod lengthwise reciprocable by engagement therewith of aninverted vessel to be rinsed for opening said rinsing liquid inletvalve.

2. Apparatus for cleaning a hollow vessel comprising a washing housinghaving an open top, a nonrotative inner brush within said washinghousing, a fixed annular outer brush within said washing housing andencircling said inner brush, said inner and outer brushes being arrangedto come into contact with the inside and outside walls, respectively, ofa vessel to be cleaned in inverted position, a rinsing housing rigidlyconnected to said washing housing, having an open top and having itsbottom disposed adjacent to the top of said washing housing, an innerupright jet pipe in said rinsing housing over which a vessel to berinsed can be inverted for supplying rinsing liquid to the inside ofsuch vessel, a plurality of outer jet pipes arranged around said innerjet pipe and each including an upright portion and a generallyhorizontal arcuate portion at an angle to its upright portion forsupplying rinsing liquid to the outside wall and to the outer side ofthe bottom of such an inverted vessel to be rinsed, means for supplyingrinsing liquid to said jet pipes, means for draining liquid from thebottom of said rinsing housing to a portion of said washing housingbelow the bottom of said rinsing housing to be used as washing liquid,and outlet means in said washing housing adjacent to the upper ends ofsaid brushes for removing washing liquid from said washing housing whileenabling said brushes to be substantially submerged in washing liquid.

3. Apparatus for cleaning a hollow vessel comprising a washing housinghaving an open top, an inner brush within said washing housing, an outerbrush within said washing housing outwardly of said inner brush, saidinner and outer brushes being arranged to come into contact with theinside and outside walls, respectively, of a vessel to be cleaned ininverted position, a rinsing housing rigidly connected to said washinghousing, having an open top and having its bottom disposed adjacent tothe top of said washing housing, an inner upright jet pipe in saidrinsing housing over which a vessel to be rinsed can be inverted forsupplying rinsing liquid to the inside of such vessel, an outer jet pipefor supplying rinsing liquid to the outside of such vessel, a rinsingliquid inlet valve for controlling flow of rinsing liquid to said jetpipes, an upright rod lengthwise reciprocable by engagement therewith ofan inverted vessel to be rinsed for opening said rinsing liquid inletvalve, means for draining liquid from the bottom of said rinsing housingto a portion of said washing housing below the bottom of said rinsinghousing, and outlet means in said washing housing adjacent to the upperends of said brushes for removing washing liquid from said washinghousing while enabling said brushes to be substantially submerged inwashing liquid.

1. Apparatus for cleaning a hollow vessel comprising a washing housinghaving an open top, a non-rotative inner brush within said washinghousing, a fixed annular outer brush within said washing housing andencircling said inner brush, said inner and outer brushes being arrangedto come into contact with the inside and outside walls, respectively, ofa vessel to be cleaned in inverted position, means for supplying washingliquid to said washing housing, a washing liquid inlet valve forcontrolling the supply of washing liquid through said supplying means,valve control means engageable by a vessel in inverted position loweredover said inner brush for opening said washing liquid inlet valve,outlet means in said washing housing adjacent to the upper ends of saidbrushes for removing washing liquid from said washing housing whileenabling said brushes to be substantially submerged in washing liquid, arinsing housing rigidly connected to said washing housing and having anopen top, an inner upright jet pipe in said rinsing housing over which avessel to be rinsed can be inverted for supplying rinsing liquid to theinside of such vessel, a plurality of outer jet pipes arranged aroundsaid inner jet pipe and each including an upright portion and agenerally horizontal arcuate portion at an angle to its upright portionfor supplying rinsing liquid to the outside wall and to the outer sideof the bottom of such an inverted vessel to be rinsed, a rinsing liquidinlet valve for controlling flow of rinsing liquid to said jet pipes,and an upright rod lengthwise reciprocable by engagement therewith of aninverted vessel to be rinsed for opening said rinsing liquid inletvalve.
 2. Apparatus for cleaning a hollow vessel comprising a washinghousing having an open top, a nonrotative inner Brush within saidwashing housing, a fixed annular outer brush within said washing housingand encircling said inner brush, said inner and outer brushes beingarranged to come into contact with the inside and outside walls,respectively, of a vessel to be cleaned in inverted position, a rinsinghousing rigidly connected to said washing housing, having an open topand having its bottom disposed adjacent to the top of said washinghousing, an inner upright jet pipe in said rinsing housing over which avessel to be rinsed can be inverted for supplying rinsing liquid to theinside of such vessel, a plurality of outer jet pipes arranged aroundsaid inner jet pipe and each including an upright portion and agenerally horizontal arcuate portion at an angle to its upright portionfor supplying rinsing liquid to the outside wall and to the outer sideof the bottom of such an inverted vessel to be rinsed, means forsupplying rinsing liquid to said jet pipes, means for draining liquidfrom the bottom of said rinsing housing to a portion of said washinghousing below the bottom of said rinsing housing to be used as washingliquid, and outlet means in said washing housing adjacent to the upperends of said brushes for removing washing liquid from said washinghousing while enabling said brushes to be substantially submerged inwashing liquid.
 3. Apparatus for cleaning a hollow vessel comprising awashing housing having an open top, an inner brush within said washinghousing, an outer brush within said washing housing outwardly of saidinner brush, said inner and outer brushes being arranged to come intocontact with the inside and outside walls, respectively, of a vessel tobe cleaned in inverted position, a rinsing housing rigidly connected tosaid washing housing, having an open top and having its bottom disposedadjacent to the top of said washing housing, an inner upright jet pipein said rinsing housing over which a vessel to be rinsed can be invertedfor supplying rinsing liquid to the inside of such vessel, an outer jetpipe for supplying rinsing liquid to the outside of such vessel, arinsing liquid inlet valve for controlling flow of rinsing liquid tosaid jet pipes, an upright rod lengthwise reciprocable by engagementtherewith of an inverted vessel to be rinsed for opening said rinsingliquid inlet valve, means for draining liquid from the bottom of saidrinsing housing to a portion of said washing housing below the bottom ofsaid rinsing housing, and outlet means in said washing housing adjacentto the upper ends of said brushes for removing washing liquid from saidwashing housing while enabling said brushes to be substantiallysubmerged in washing liquid.